Hemp is quite simply, nature's beauty secret - and the secret is in the seed. Hemp seed oil and extract offer many benefits useful in personal care products. The reason hemp is so effective is largely because of the essential fatty acids (EFAs) it contains. More than 75% of the EFAs in hemp seed oil are poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), known for their excellent emollient and lubricating properties.

Hemp seed oil contains what is considered to be an ideal ratio of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids - 3:1, perfectly matching the needs of the human body. And while the benefits of hemp in beauty products seem magical, hemp contains no THC, the drug that gives marijuana its mood-altering properties. Hemp can not affect you in any possible way other than to give you soft, smooth skin.

History of hemp

• The Chinese first used hemp for paper and cloth between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago.
• Hemp paper has been used in such manuscripts as The Bible, and for the writings of Lao Tsu and Confucius.
• Early drafts of The Declaration of Independence and The U.S. Constitution were written on hemp paper.
• George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both farmed hemp crops.
• Colonial Americans could use hemp crops to pay their taxes.
• Henry Ford's early automobiles were made and fueled, in part, with hemp.
• The U.S. encouraged hemp cultivation up until WWII.

Facts on hemp

• Hemp contains virtually no THC, making it drug-free.
• Hemp seed can be processed, much like soy, into many nutritious foods and cosmetic ingredients.
• Hemp could help preserve natural resources. For instance, a hemp crop used for paper would replenish itself in 90 days.
• Instead of the 60 years required to grow trees, an acre of hemp would produce 4 times the amount of paper that an acre of trees could yield over that same length of time. And hemp requires no herbicides or pesticides for cultivation and refertilizes soil naturally, making the ground useful for future crops.
• It is illegal to grow hemp in the U.S. without local and federal permits.
• The U.S. is the only member of the Group of Industrialized Nations that does not cultivate hemp.
• There are currently 29 countries in the world that legally cultivate hemp.

For more information go to www.abouthemp.com.